Ohio Republican congressional candidate Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher plunged into controversy this weekend in Arizona by delivering speeches where he said the United States needs to build a fence along the Mexican border and “start shooting.”

At a Prescott, Arizona fundraiser for Arizona State Sen. Lori Klein, Wurzelbacher applauded Klein’s stance against illegal immigration as he denounced political correctness.

“We’re afraid to say anything because we are afraid someone will report it on the 5 o’clock news,” said Wurzelbacher, of Holland. “For years, I’ve said put a damned fence on the border going to Mexico and start shooting. I am running for Congress and that should be a bad thing to say. You know what? It’s how I feel. I am not going to hide it because I am running for an office. I want my borders protected and I am very, very adamant about that.”